Together (From Swindon Advertiser)

Together

10:10pm Thursday 7th April 2011

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Seven years ago next month a close friend of mine past away in a motorcycle accident.

As a 17-year-old it was a very confusing, blurry and overwhelming experience to go through. For many of us in our friendship group is was the first time we had encountered death. Certainly of someone that close.

It wasn’t really until a few years had past that the fact he was no longer with us truly sunk in. The milestones I have reached in my young life such as, going to University, leaving home and falling in love were all things Graeme wasn’t given the chance to achieve for himself. Whether he wanted them or not, the fact is his accident stripped him of making that choice. And that is something that breaks my heart.

Everyday we are presented with choices and, whilst there is a large portion we say yes to, there is an even bigger portion that we come up with some reason to put off or say no to. Whenever I’m dithering about a decision, in a somewhat cheesy way, I think about the fact Graeme was never given the option to go to that gig, eat at that restaurant or visit that friend and I try my best to do it. I’m not ashamed to admit that some of the best experiences of my life have come about purely because Graeme’s memory forced me to do.

And it’s this thinking that has encouraged me and a group of friends to meet up back home in Swindon every summer on Graeme’s birthday, no matter where we’re living at the time, if we have work the next day or if other plans are on offer. Every year we drink, we laugh, we drink, we catch up, we drink.

If it is at all possible to have something positive come out of such a tragic event, it is that for the past seven years a group of friends who perhaps would have otherwise grown apart has managed to meet up. I’ve seen my childhood friends get lives, lose hair and grow bellies. And while some of us may no longer share the same interests, we will always have one beautifully unique thing in common.

So as someone who moved away from Swindon last year, I’ve been following the horrific drama unfolding throughout the Sian O’Callaghan and Becky Godden-Edwards cases on the news intently.

I can’t imagine what Sian’s and Becky’s families are going through right now and it is an understatement to say I am wishing that they get through this tough time in one piece. However, the one thing I took from this ordeal and I’m sure the one thing the loved ones of those poor girls will take out of this, is the sheer love, devotion and togetherness shown by the people of Swindon.

You’d have to be made of stone to not melt with pride at the sight of the hundreds of flickering lanterns released by 10,000 strangers in to the dark and uncertain skies of Swindon in a special memorial for Sian. It was a gorgeously moving tribute for someone who, while few knew before March 2011, will never be forgotten. That night too will live long in the memory of those who attended, much like Graeme’s last seven birthdays in mine.

It is important that those in Swindon hold Sian and Becky close to their hearts, and try their best to enjoy their lives and seize the opportunities that were so quickly taken away from two young girls.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here